The Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) has successfully constructed and inaugurated feeder roads to link up farming communities to the major towns and cities.
A total of 646.25 kilometers of feeder roads located in 345 communities in 41 districts have been handed over to the beneficiary communities.
About GHC40 million was spent on the projects which is expected to benefit 248,000 direct community members and other beneficiaries.
A Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Alhassan Yakubu Ahmed symbolically inaugurated and handed over the Kukobila project in the Savelugu/Nantong district.
As the first phase, he said the contractors constructed the road on schedule within three years.
He instructed the Department of Feeder Roads and the District Assemblies of the beneficiary communities to carry routine maintenance on the projects.
Dr. Alhassan Yakubu observed, “As a result of the construction of these roads coupled with other factors, farmers productivity have increased from as low as 0.8mt/ha for maize in some areas: this is because farmers have access to improved inputs and access to the market.”
He added, “Many farmers have expanded their fields from 0.4mt to over 2ha in many of the areas where these roads are constructed and incomes have equally improved as farmers now have access to the market.”
The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture said the NRGP would continue to deliver on its mandate of promoting mechanized agriculture and expanding road infrastructure in rural communities to boost the nation’s food security.
“The Rural Infrastructure Development component of the NRGP is to develop the potential for irrigation and integrated water management to shift from the over dependent rain fed cultivation which is highly vulnerable to climate change risks: the approach to rural infrastructure development takes into consideration the need to establish clear links between the infrastructure interventions and commodity chains development from both geographical and technical point of view.”
Dr. Yakubu further explained, “The programme is also to address constraints to poverty reduction by improving production and marketing infrastructure (rural roads and storage facilities) to support agricultural value chain activities, thus the construction of feeder roads and these roads where carefully selected to link crop production sites to markets or communities.”
He commended the African Development Bank for financing the Kukobila road project and the supervising agency the Department of Feeder Roads for a good work done.
Donation to the Ghana Health Service
By extension, the NRGP presented some medical equipment and other essentials to the Ghana Health Service.
These included laboratory consumables, 100,000 long lasting insecticidal nets, one million condoms, 1,000 mosquito larvicides and microscopes.
Dr. Alhassan Yakubu Ahmed said the gesture sought to mitigate unintended negative health impacts on people living in the NRGP’s catchments.
“In ensuring sustainability by protecting the environment and well-being of beneficiaries, the programme has in place an Environmental Management Plan with the objective of mainstreaming environmental, social and health safeguards into the various rehabilitation and construction works.”
“The health aspect is to mitigate any unintended negative health impacts of the infrastructure facilities and in line with its objectives the programme has engaged the services of Ghana Health Service to carryout baseline surveys on health related diseases, awareness creation and sensitization of beneficiaries on the prevention and control of water related diseases, HIV/AIDS and monitoring of health situation in the programme area and to provide interventions to mitigate the effect of these diseases,” Dr. Yakubu stated.
Dr. Benjamin Marfo on behalf of the Director General of the Ghana Health Service received the items.
Dr. Marfo who is the Deputy national program Manager of Neglected Tropical disease at the GHS thanked the NRGP for the support.
He promised that the essentials would be put to good use in line with the impact assessment carried on the identified diseases.
He revealed the Ghana Health Service’s intention to expand its advocacy programme through the creation of health clubs.
Dr. Sarfo said the GHS will deepen its collaboration with the NRGP and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to improve quality health care services delivery.
He pointed to malaria as the number one killer disease in Africa and called for enough anti malaria drugs.
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/Citifmonline.com/Ghana